Thanksgiving and intercession prayer 29 August 2021

You call us beloved

our God

beloved

for we are your children

and you are our Father

beloved

treasure

dearest

this is our blessing, which we offer our praise to you for

for your love is the most precious thing we can have

more precious than diamonds or great wealth

more precious than traditions we cling to

or grudges we hold in our hearts

to be beloved

is the greatest treasure

grateful thanks flows from our hearts for this gift

freely offered

Gift Giver

in receiving this gift of this knowledge

we are beloved

may it change our hearts

melt them, as we look upon others

those we struggle to love

those whose lives we disapprove of

those who are not our sort of people

and realise too, they are your children

your beloved

for they are made in your image

Lord God

we bring our beloved before you now

our close family and friends

we cherish them

as you do

surround them with your love, we pray

especially those who are physically far from us

and who we do not know when we will see them again.

We bless you, God

for engagements and marriages

children and pregnancies

new jobs and homes

and all the good news we share with those we called beloved

Loving One

beyond our own imagining

people across the world

endure suffering

today we specifically recall

women and girls Afghanistan,

those affected by the earthquake in Haiti

the Israel Palestine conflict

our hearts ache

we struggle to comprehend the suffering and torment

and wonder what we can do

so we pray

and pray and pray

for peace to prevail

for human traditions to be set aside

for the betterment of all people

who are all your children

your beloved

we also pray for humanitarian agencies working in these areas

and all who work for a better world

all this we pray in and through the name of the One who is

our beloved

Christ Jesus

Amen